Meng Yan's Transformation

When Zhan Mengyan pushed open the classroom door, the sunlight was shining obliquely on the empty desk in the fourth row, which was Dong Hanmei's seat; she hadn't come to school.

Zhan Mengyan walked much slower than usual, unaware that the bag on her shoulder had slipped down to her elbow. As she passed the withered geranium by the window, her fingertips unconsciously traced the curled edges of the leaves—as if touching her own tangled thoughts.

Zhan Mengyan's gaze swept over her playful classmates, but it was as if they were separated by a pane of glass. The noise around her turned into a muffled buzz, and she could only clearly hear the dull thumping of her own heartbeat in her chest. She quietly walked to a seat against the wall, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a short, hoarse sound. As she sat down, strands of hair fell down, obscuring half of her face, and only her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed some emotion gnawing at her heart.

Zhan Mengyan repeatedly rubbed the folded corner of the notebook's cover page with her fingers until the edges of the paper became rough. The fragrance of forsythia wafted in from outside the window, suddenly making her nose sting—it was the same fragrance as yesterday, but now it carried an inescapable bitterness.

Xu Yanmei, Zhan Mengyan's deskmate, excitedly shared her weekend plans with her. Zhan Mengyan responded with a slight smile, but a lingering mist remained in her eyes. The shadow of Zhan Yue's departure rose and fell like the tide deep within her pupils, trapping all the light in an invisible cage. A thin mist shrouded her eyes, and her slightly pursed lips concealed unspoken loneliness and stubbornness.

Weeks passed, and by the end of the month, there was still no news from Zhan Yue.

"It seems that Sister Yue'er is really going to drop out of school."

Zhan Mengyan was lost in thought when her classmates, who were going home for the end of the month, walked past her excitedly.

"Zhan Mengyan, what are you doing, keeping your head down like that? Come on! It's the end of the month, let's go home!"

As Zhang Xincheng spoke, he pushed his bicycle toward Zhan Mengyan. Zhan Zixun followed behind him.

“My sister Zhanyue hasn’t been to class for fifteen days. She said she’s going to drop out. I’m still using her blankets. I’ll go to the dormitory and take her bedding back with me. I also want to check on my aunt’s illness.”

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, she was about to go back to the dormitory to retrieve Zhan Yue's luggage and bedding.

"Zhan Yue said she wanted to drop out of school. Did she go through the withdrawal procedures? If she didn't, what kind of behavior is it to secretly take her bedding back? If she comes back to school, she'll have to bring the bedding back again. Aren't you just making things worse? Let's go see Auntie first. Zhan Mengyan, stop dawdling and let's go."

As Zhan Zixun spoke, he looked at Zhan Mengyan with impatience.

“If I don’t need to send any luggage or bedding to Sister Zhanyue, Zixun, could you go and check on Auntie and Sister Zhanyue for me? I won’t go home. It’s pointless for me to go home when Mom and Sister Yingying aren’t there. I feel sad seeing the empty house. I’ll wait until Mom and Sister Yingying come back before I go home and visit Auntie and Sister Zhanyue.”

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, she turned to go back to the classroom.

"Silly girl, let me tell you, Mom and Zhan Yingying came back the day before yesterday! I don't want to go home if Mom isn't home either. I got scolded by Dad last time I went home. I don't want to go home if only Dad is home."

As Zhan Zixun spoke, his eyes lit up instantly, like two twinkling stars, and a bright smile involuntarily bloomed on his face. His voice trembled slightly with excitement: "Mom is finally back! She's been waiting for us at home!"

"Zhan Zixun, didn't you tell me to keep it a secret and not tell Zhan Mengyan about your mother and Zhan Yingying's return? Why did you tell her yourself?"