Chapter 38: The Spring Outing Task Force

The groups for the spring outing set off by grade, each in turn. The high school students were the first to leave the schoolyard, followed by the junior high students. Among the ninth graders, tall and broad-shouldered An Ning stood out conspicuously. He waved at Li Jixiang from within his group, which immediately sparked curiosity among those around her, all trying to guess who An Ning was greeting. A cluster of girls chattered excitedly, agreeing that An Ning was handsome, like Thunder Tiger from the Little Tigers band.

Li Jixiang watched An Ning’s team exit the school gate with a calm expression. At that moment, the homeroom teacher did another headcount. The class monitor, Huang Li, reported that all were present except for Ma Hongmei.

Ma Hongmei’s family situation was unusual; if her mother suffered an episode, she had to stay home to look after her. The school allowed her to submit a leave note afterwards. Judging by the circumstances, Ma Hongmei wouldn’t be coming today, so Zhang Chunfen gave the command to set out. Luo Wei, holding the bright red class flag, led the way, while Li Jixiang, being tall, was placed at the end of the line.

They had barely stepped out of the school gate when someone shouted, “Ma Hongmei’s here!” Instantly, the group erupted like a boiling pot.

Ma Hongmei wasn’t exactly the class celebrity—her arrival hardly warranted such excitement, did it? Confused, Li Jixiang turned to look. At the sight of Ma Hongmei, she nearly choked in disbelief.

Ma Hongmei had shown up wearing her pink nightdress with heart patterns!

Petite and slender, she wore the small-sized vest-style nightdress over a red wool sweater, yet it was still loose. Since the weather wasn’t warm enough for bare legs, she’d put on a pair of thermal leggings underneath—once white, now tinged yellow from wear.

“Ma Hongmei, what are you wearing?”

“Ma Hongmei’s got a dress on and her hair in pigtails!”

“A new dress! My mom did my hair,” Ma Hongmei replied, a bit embarrassed as she touched her two pigtails and looked down at her heart-covered dress, inwardly delighted. She didn’t sense the teasing from her classmates. She’d gotten up especially early, made breakfast in a hurry, and then spent time in front of the small round mirror, changing and trying to plait her hair.

Even after all these years, she still couldn’t manage neat braids—her hands seemed to rebel behind her head, leaving the braids crooked or with strands left out. Whenever she ran into trouble, she’d start scratching at her hair, which always looked messy. It was a rare blessing that her mother was in good spirits today and deftly braided her hair before sending her out.

Chen Yu had bought the pink heart nightdress from the Xingqiu Town department store; it was a new arrival. When it first appeared on the shelves, everyone thought it was a regular dress. Only after checking the label did they realize it was a nightdress—and an expensive one at that. The girls liked it but couldn’t persuade their parents to buy it. Most families wouldn’t dream of buying a nightdress; children usually slept in vests and shorts. A fancy nightdress for bed was something you only saw in movies.

“A nightdress worn as a dress… hee hee…”

“What’s so funny? Haven’t you seen someone in a dress before?”

Li Jixiang’s gaze swept over the group, and suddenly no one dared make another sound. Not only was Li Jixiang a top student, but she could also handle the little hoodlums who sometimes came to the class from outside school. Her martial skills were said to be fiercer than the shepherd girls of Shaolin. One glare from her and not only her classmates, but the whole grade, would fall silent.

She truly was the embodiment of both brains and brawn.

Today, Zhang Chunfen had brought her five-year-old son along for the outing. At first, the little boy was shy and quiet, but as he warmed up to the group, he became lively, circling around Ma Hongmei’s dress, trying to count exactly how many little hearts it had.

The junior and senior high students all headed deep into the hills for their adventure, while the elementary students stopped by the edge of the woods for warm-up activities. The school’s youth league official had made a point of announcing that this spring outing would include new games, with prizes for the winners.

The moment games and prizes were mentioned, the elementary students went wild, each scrambling to sign up. Entertainment options were limited in the small town—marbles, rubber balls, jump rope, and hide-and-seek were the usual fare. The mention of treasure hunts and capture-the-flag immediately sparked excitement; even the names of the games felt novel and thrilling.

The school’s youth league official, already thirty-six and beyond the usual age for such a post, was quickly overwhelmed by the tide of eager children. He hurried to explain that the rules would be announced by the school’s newly hired external counselor.

Leaning against a tree, Li Jixiang watched Zhang Chunfen’s son circling Ma Hongmei’s dress, not paying much attention to the chaos of sign-ups happening in the clearing. That’s when the class monitor, Huang Li, approached, inviting her over—the whole class had unanimously nominated her as the captain for the capture-the-flag game.

“What’s going on?” Li Jixiang looked at Huang Li, her thirteen-year-old body containing the soul of a proud young lady. Someone long bored with CS (Counter-Strike), she found these childish country games hardly worth her interest.

“Everyone picked you. Our class has to compete with Class One to take their flag from the hilltop. If you lead us, we’re sure to win,” Huang Li said with a fawning smile and the utmost humility.

In the past, Huang Li had been dismissive, never sparing Li Jixiang even a glance. When handing out or collecting assignments, she’d always find ways to skip Li Jixiang. But after being consistently outperformed on recent tests, all she felt for Li Jixiang was awe and admiration.

“What’s the prize?” Li Jixiang asked, glancing indifferently at the crowd of small heads packed together, indistinguishable from one another.

“Every member of the winning team gets a double-strap leather backpack.”

“A double-strap backpack? That’s amazing! If only I could win one!” Ma Hongmei’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She eagerly urged Li Jixiang to compete. She was well aware of her own frailty and lack of strength, so she could only envy those who could participate.

“I’ll join if Ma Hongmei can be on the team,” Li Jixiang said, touched by the longing in her deskmate’s eyes. This poor girl, soon to be fourteen, had unremarkable features and average grades, but her heart brimmed with dreams. If she could join the game and win a backpack, it would be like fulfilling a birthday wish.

“But each class only gets twenty spots. Do you really think Ma Hongmei can handle it?” Huang Li wanted to join herself, but knowing her own limitations, she had to yield. She didn’t see Ma Hongmei as particularly strong or tall and hesitated to agree.

“Aren’t I supposed to be captain? If the captain can’t pick her own team, what kind of captain is that? If not, find someone else,” Li Jixiang retorted, forcing Huang Li to capitulate at once. Huang Li ordered the class to line up so Li Jixiang could choose the team and reminded everyone that the rules didn’t specify gender, so it wouldn’t hurt to pick boys.

Li Jixiang, however, disagreed. The game’s secretive terrain required stealth through the woods, and in her view, the girls were just as capable as the boys. Besides, her choice of Ma Hongmei wasn’t just because they shared a desk. Ma Hongmei’s small stature made her agile and good at hiding. And despite her size, she was surprisingly strong—she could carry a twenty-pound sack of rice with one hand, easily deceiving opponents.

Class Six, Section Three’s team assembled!

Class Six, Section One’s team assembled!

Li Jixiang reported, then waited for instructions. At that moment, someone stepped out from the crowd—the overall commander for the event, clad in a deep blue tracksuit with two white stripes: the external counselor.

Chen Yu!