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Chapter 209: Spring Outing Plan
Chapter 209: Spring Outing Plan
At the beginning of the new semester, the pace of the classes was a bit slower as everyone gradually got back into the routine of high school life.
In Class 3, the seating arrangement was shuffled again. This time, the homeroom teacher, Dong Zhongying, brought a lottery box for everyone to draw numbers and choose seats in order. After selecting seats, students could adjust based on their heights, and the seating would shift one spot to the right each month.
Mei Fang was lucky this time and drew the number 3, allowing him to be the third person to choose a seat.
He didn’t have many preferences when choosing his seat—listening to lectures was about the same anywhere. As long as it was convenient for him to socialize with girls from other classes, for example, those from Class 5, that was good enough.
He chose a seat at the back near the window—the “main character’s seat.”
It was the outer window seat, which wasn’t very popular since it was a prime spot for the homeroom teacher to monitor. Any mischief during class would be easily spotted.
Not everyone had friends in other classes like Mei Fang, so this seat wasn’t desirable to many.
After filling out his seat choice on the blackboard and sitting on his new seat, Mei Fang noticed a group of girls whispering among themselves.
When it was their turn to choose seats, he observed that they either chose spots in front or behind him in Group 1 or in the wall-adjacent Group 4 seats. This meant that in the following months, they could be in the same row as Mei Fang or even sit next to him.
Unlike his experience at Baimei No. 1 High School in his previous life, academic performance wasn’t a major factor in a boy’s popularity at Jiangcheng NOHS.This was because everyone was quite capable academically, with no drastic differences in academic prowess. Moreover, many local students in the parallel class were either preparing to study abroad or to lie flat[1] in the local 985/211 universities and weren’t overly focused on the college entrance exam.
Mei Fang’s musical talent (not just playing guitar but also composing his own songs) set him apart, making him exceptionally popular. He experienced firsthand what it was like to be a well-liked boy in the class.
Although girls didn’t outwardly gush over him, their eagerness to talk to him was evident. Wang Jiayu, who sat in front, often teased Mei Fang by bringing up conversations he and his female friends had about him. Despite feigning annoyance, Mei Fang felt a small sense of achievement.
Many girls preferred to sit near Mei Fang, but perhaps out of consideration for his two childhood sweethearts, no one chose the seat directly next to him.
As for the boys, Mei Fang’s few close friends were all assigned seats towards the back, while the others, not being close to him and likely tired of seeing him always being in the limelight, didn’t opt to sit next to him either.
However, during the seat selection process, one bold girl finally chose the seat next to Mei Fang.
It was Xiang Bingbing.
When Xiang Bingbing was choosing her seat, she naturally found Mei Fang’s name first and wrote her own name next to it with the chalk.
Under the various gazes of her classmates, she walked down and proudly showed off to Mei Fang’s former deskmate, Wan Chaoxiong, before sitting on her new seat and poking Mei Fang. She smiled brightly at him:
“We’re deskmates again!”
Before Mei Fang could respond, Wan Chaoxiong gave Xiang Bingbing a m*ddle f*nger.
“You’re doomed, Xiang Bingbing. Don’t you see how tightly Boss Mei’s two childhood sweethearts keep an eye on him? And you still dare to sit next to him.”
“What’s the big deal? Mei Fang and I were deskmates during the summer training camp.”
Xiang Bingbing smiled and replied, “Besides, I’m good friends with Yuan Yuan and Youxi. They don’t mind, right, Ah Fang?”
“?”
Mei Fang quickly reminded Xiang Bingbing, “Don’t call me that. I told you last time.”
“Haha… I got used to it because I always hear them calling you that.”
Xiang Bingbing scratched her head and smiled, “By the way, did you guys hear? My roommate told me that our school is organizing a spring outing at the end of the month!”
“What’s so surprising about a spring outing? We have it every year, spring and autumn,” said Wan Chaoxiong nonchalantly. “It’s just hiking and mountain climbing. Boring.”
“But we didn’t have an autumn outing last year!” Xiang Bingbing pouted. “I’ve never been on a spring or autumn outing.”
“Last year? Didn’t we go target shooting together last year? That social practice trip should count as the autumn outing.”
“That was no fun, I’ve done it many times in Shennongjia before. Back then my grandpa…”
Xiang Bingbing was chatting away animatedly, while Mei Fang listened with interest from the side. “Do you know if the spring outing is organized by the class or by the whole grade?”
Xiang Bingbing giggled, “You want to go with Yuan Yuan and Youxi, don’t you?”
“That’s right.”
Mei Fang didn’t deny it. “We’ve never had a spring outing back home. If we could experience it together, that would be great.”
Wan Chaoxiong shook his head, “In Jiangcheng, only elementary schools organize collective spring outings. Besides, our high school has too many students in each grade. Unless it’s a practical activity, there usually aren’t collective outings. However, if the destinations are the same, there have been cases where classes join together, but that requires coordination between the class committees and homeroom teachers.”
“I see.”
Mei Fang often had chances to be intimate with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi at school, but mostly during breaks and meal times. Being in different classes meant they didn’t see each other often. Participating in organized activities together would be great.
The homeroom teacher Dong Zhongying mentioned the spring outing during the evening self-study session. As per tradition, it would be decided by a majority vote. He provided a few options—the usual spring outing destinations for Jiangcheng NOHS students: Luoyan Island, Ma’an Mountain Forest Park, and Mulan Heaven Lake.
Luoyan Island is adjacent to East Lake and is a nice wetland park. Ma’an Mountain is great for hiking and breathing fresh air, with the added option of outdoor barbecues. Mulan Heaven Lake offers mountain climbing and scenic water views. However, because it’s farther from the city, it also provides opportunities for camping and watching the sunrise.
Compared to the first two spring outing destinations, students from outlying counties who haven’t explored much of Jiangcheng were particularly excited about camping. Mulan Heaven Lake was the most talked about location, and Mei Fang was very keen on it. In his previous life, his college roommates went camping there, but he couldn’t join them due to financial constraints. After that, during his four years of university and even after graduation, he never had the chance to go.
Dong Zhongying delegated the organization of the spring outing entirely to the class monitor, He Luoyun, and the class committee. As the sports committee member for Class 3, Xiang Bingbing also had some say in the matter.
“Mei Fang, after school today, ask Yuan Yuan and Youxi where they want to go. Since Youxi was the class monitor of Class 5, if we choose the same place, it will be easier for us to organize a joint spring outing,” Xiang Bingbing suggested.
“Sure thing.”
During a break in the evening self-study session, Mei Fang discussed the spring outing plans with Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi. Both were eager to go on the trip with him. As for the destination, Xia Yuan’s response was immediate:
“Let’s go to Mulan Heaven Lake! We can camp there! I heard there are hot springs too. I’ve never been to a hot spring!”
Mei Fang frowned, “Who told you there are hot springs? Mulan Heaven Lake doesn’t have any hot springs. The whole of Jiangcheng doesn’t have hot springs. You’d have to go to Xianning for that.”
It turns out the urban legend about hot springs at Mulan Heaven Lake started circulating around 2012. Mei Fang had often heard this during his university days in Jiangcheng, although no one knew who started the rumor.
“What? How could that be?!”
Xia Yuan was disappointed, but she quickly perked up. “Camping together still sounds fun! Camping is interesting.”
Lin Youxi was not as optimistic as the other two, “The main issue is the cost. The school doesn’t cover expenses. With tickets and camping fees, even with student discounts, it will cost around 200 yuan. While spring outings are voluntary, if too many people choose not to go, it’ll be seen as the class committee’s failure to organize the activity well. People won’t vote for Mulan Heaven Lake in that case.”
“Phew… I thought it was a bigger problem. If it’s just about money, that’s not a problem!” Mei Fang patted his chest and smiled. “Just tell your classmates that you have relatives at Mulan Heaven Lake who can rent us tents and sleeping bags cheaply.”
“Youxi doesn’t have any relatives renting out tents there——”
“Tsk…”
Xia Yuan, realizing what Mei Fang meant, immediately pinched his cheeks and asked, “Are you planning to spend money again? Tell the truth!”
“Spending money to create beautiful memories of youth isn’t wasting money at all!” Mei Fang defended with a smile.
Translator's Notes:
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