Day 35–39 · Last Week Review

Day 35 · The Call Before Gaokao Listen, my nephew called me this weekend. He told me his gaokao starts tomorrow morning. And he wanted me to give him a pep talk. Honestly, I was kind of touched. He thought of me at a moment like this. But I didn't really know what to say. I mean, it's the gaokao. I just wanted him to take it easy. So I said, I'm so glad you called me. You've really grown these past three years. I genuinely like who you've become. To me, you already aced your gaokao. Then we started joking about his freshman year. So rebellious. His junior-year crush. His senior-year all-nighter. He laughed. I could feel him relax. We talked a little longer, then hung up.

Day 36 · The Gaokao Year This morning, the streets felt unusually quiet. No one was honking. No one rushing. It hit me. Today is the day. I drove past a school on my way to work. Parents were everywhere, holding flowers. And just like that, I was eighteen again. And just like that, I was back in that exam room. My pencil was shaking. My heart was pounding. Part of me just wanted it over. And part of me wished I had more time. Honestly, that was almost twenty years ago. But it still feels so close. Time really does fly. I hope they ace it. Every single one of them.

Day 37 · The Class Dinner Night It just turned Wednesday. I'm thinking about them again. Today is their last day of gaokao. Probably their only one ever. Just one more exam. English. They'll walk out of that exam room by five. All over. And just like that, they're free. Free from high school. They'll try to keep their cool. And head home to check their answers. Within an hour, the group chats will blow up. Their last class dinner is tonight. They'll sing their class song first. Then someone will put on a pop song. Some girls crying. Some boys way too loud. They'll pretend to drink like grown-ups. Please. Take a million photos. This is what youth looks like.

Day 38 · Just Ask Yesterday was the last day of gaokao. Today, the house is too quiet. He came home past midnight. From the class dinner. With a hangover. It's almost noon. He's still sleeping in. Door closed. There's no rushing this morning. No alarm. No backpack by the door. Mom keeps walking past his door. Listening for any sound. She wants to knock. But doesn't. He wants to ask. But doesn't. It's not the kind of morning you see on TV. No tears. No big hugs. Finally, his door opens. He walks out. His hair is a mess. They eat in silence. Nobody mentions yesterday. Nobody asks the question. Then he says it. Just ask. Probably 420. Enough for a third-tier university. And just like that. Mom and Dad finally let out a breath.

Day 39 · Part Time or Travel? My nephew called me Thursday afternoon and said his gaokao went good. He said: I want to do part-time as a delivery guy this summer. Then I can save up for university. Actually, I was so proud, and it reminded me of my own summer long time ago. I was handing out flyers on the street the whole summer. Honestly, I always envied my classmates who got to travel after graduation. So I told him. If you don't mind, I have an offer for you. I can cover 200 yuan a day. You can use it to backpack across China. Only one condition. Study on my TingMate app one hour a day, two whole months. And send me a recording every day. He paused. Then said he never thought about traveling. But it sounds kind of cool. Less than an hour later, I got tons of messages from him. RedNote travel guides. Backpacking routes. He even sent me one. How university students can travel to America. And the most surprising one is his first English recording. I laughed. Haha.