Serana did not like this man; his demeanor was very restless. Just yesterday, a Woman rode her bicycle to school, and she remembered the feeling perfectly: a gentle breeze, hair fluttering across her forehead, watching the sky slowly brighten. Everything was good. Although the backpack under her bottom was uncomfortable, the lunch inside was delicious.
Now she sat in this strange car, the seat soft and comfortable, with a hint of Qing Ning air freshener. The car crawled along the street, dull and windless. Her black new backpack lay beside her, bulging, leaning against the seat like a passenger. The man looked at the deer head in her hand through the rearview mirror; the deer head's eyes were dim and lifeless.
Serana turned her head to look at the world outside the car, and she couldn't help but sigh at how times had changed. The city, this forest, had grown so much, with more and more tall trees. Everything was rushing towards rules and order, highlighting another kind of beauty distinct from wild charm. However, the animals living within it became increasingly restless, which Serana disliked.
They arrived at school, a high school. Serana, carrying the deer head and her backpack, got out of the car and walked through the school gate. Inside was a tree-lined path, with camphor trees lush on both sides and fallen leaves piled beneath them. She looked back and saw the man in the car talking animatedly, holding a black box. He glanced briefly at the deer head, waved, then rolled up the car window and drove away.
A big boy walked over and greeted the deer head in Serana's hand, "Simon, did you do your homework? Let me copy it." He was the boy from yesterday; it seemed they were quite fated.
Seeing his eyes fixated on the backpack, Serana handed it to him. He smiled, took it, opened it, and exclaimed, "You didn't do it either, you bastard! Are you planning to copy the class representative's in the classroom now?...Oh, you only did math? Chinese Language is blank. Damn, you didn't do English either! Such good English, wasted!"
Everything was like a rerun of yesterday. The big boy led Serana to the classroom; they were deskmates.
During morning self-study, most students were secretly eating breakfast, some secretly copying homework, and some even doing both. As a result, the sound of reading was very faint. Only when a pair of cold eyes appeared outside the window did everyone raise their textbooks and read aloud, being careful not to spray rice grains from their mouths.
None of this concerned Serana. She sat in the classroom, and by noon, she thought she could take out her lunchbox from her backpack and enjoy a delicious pickled vegetable rice ball, just like yesterday. But there were only books in her backpack. She emptied the entire bag and still couldn't find that ugly white tin box, which made her suspect that the kid from the morning had swiped the lunchbox when he rummaged through her bag.
It wasn't until everyone had left that she realized the dining location had changed. By the time she hurried with the crowd into the cafeteria, it was already packed.
The vast cafeteria had no electric lights, relying solely on natural light for faint visibility. Many areas were still pitch black, and from the darkness came rustling, gobbling, and chattering sounds, as if a spring had been hidden in the corner of the cafeteria, with small animals full of vitality.
Serana stared blankly at the long line in front of the serving window. Eventually, her deskmate, the big boy, shared a bun with her—or, to be precise, gave a bun to the deer head.
It seemed Simon had quite good popularity. She gnawed on the greasy, large meat bun; though the skin was cold, the filling was warm.
Back in the classroom, there were only two or three people. Their seats were all closer to the front, and according to some unspoken rule, they were indeed more fond of studying.
Serana sat in her seat, lost in thought, expecting the afternoon to arrive quickly. But it didn't. A girl in a white shirt and gray trousers walked to the desk and secretly handed him a small box containing some pastries.
Serana, who was quite hungry, devoured the pastries. The girl, meanwhile, sat in her deskmate's seat, resting her beautiful ponytail on the desk, and gently spoke to the deer head with her head tilted.
After Serana finished the pastries, she looked at the girl. Her eyes were bright, her eyelashes long, and she was slightly squinting, like a napping kitten, the smile on her lips impossible to hide.
So, what was the relationship between this little girl and Baishan?
When her deskmate returned, he dutifully kept watch for the little girl until the class bell rang, and then both returned to their seats.
Serana heard many whispers. At this moment, the deer head's eyes reflected the midday light, shining brightly.
The afternoon bell rang, and Serana picked up the deer head and left. But there was still evening self-study. She tucked the deer head into her empty bag, bypassed the gatekeeper, and walked straight out.
It's hard to see the sunset in a forest, and it's the same in a city, especially with countless mountains on the horizon. They block the sun prematurely, preventing one from witnessing the fireball plunge into the other side of the world.
Dressed in a golden evening gown and a sable coat, Serana, as grandly adorned as a palace willow, wandered aimlessly through the vast city. The flashing neon lights were not as dazzling as her figure; the endless lights of traffic flowed past her, without any surprised gazes. She was a person forgotten by the world, carrying a deer head forgotten by the world.
She didn't know the way home. In the morning, the car had twisted and turned, circling similar buildings, like navigating a maze. But the road to the outskirts was still there and familiar. She walked along it, and the sky grew darker and darker.
She arrived home, at her former home.
The door was surprisingly open, and a Woman, simply dressed and wearing an apron, walked out. It was Simon's mother.
The Woman looked around, seemingly uneasy. Serana quickly pulled the deer head from her backpack. The Woman and the deer head stared at each other, stunned for about three or four seconds, then the Woman jogged over and hugged Serana.
Serana froze.
She felt her silent weeping, her tears falling on her shoulder.
Serana hesitated for a moment, then reached out to embrace the Woman.
"You're here, that's good. Eat, eat."
The Woman had clearly not expected her son to find his way here. Her dinner table was simple: two dishes and a soup, one of which was leftovers from noon. Seeing this dirty green-painted wooden rectangular table, Serana felt a kind of joy, as if she had found a stable, warm reef in this tumultuous torrent of memories.
After dinner, the Woman tidied the bedroom for Serana.
"Did you bring your homework?"
Serana didn't understand. She placed the deer head on the desk and burrowed into the covers.
The Woman continued to nag, "You still have to do your homework. Your Class Teacher called me. Forget about today, but tomorrow you still have to go to your father's place... Mama is very poor here, don't follow me anymore."
Serana tilted her head. The Woman leaned against the doorframe, the deer head on the desk, the light from the desk lamp cold and bright. The scene was monotonous. She turned her head to the other side. A window had opened here at some point, and the dark blue twilight, accompanied by a gentle breeze, blew the curtains, repeatedly entering her sight.
After an unknown time, the Woman left and closed the door. Serana went to turn off the desk lamp and then took the deer head into the covers, just as she used to.
On the road outside, traffic sped by.
Good night.
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